Joe Burrow, the rising star praised by Tom Brady, did not want to be an NFL quarterback

Cincinnati – Joe Burrow didn’t want to be a quarterback.

When the current star of the Cincinnati Bengals started playing football in the third grade, he felt that, since at that junior level they didn’t throw a lot of passes, he needed more action and physical contact. Therefore, he preferred to play running back or receiver.

“I didn’t choose to be a quarterback,” Burrow said. “I went to my first kid practice, and the coach at the time, Sam Smathers, who I still see when I go home, He basically asked me if I wanted to be a quarterback, and I said, ‘Not really.’ But then he said to me, ‘Well, you’re going to be the quarterback anyway, too bad!’

Smathers doesn’t specifically remember forcing Burrow to play quarterback, but he acknowledges that it’s possible. The decision was obvious, particularly after learned that Joey was the son of Jimmy Burrow, who was defensive coordinator under Frank Solich at Ohio University.

“We had two other guys who were bigger and could play that position, but the knowledge, the football IQ that I noticed in him at that age was an amazing thing,” recalled Smathers, who is 56 years old and lives very close to the high school field in Athens, now renamed Joe Burrow Stadium. “Then I found out who his father was. He came from a football family, and that made me understand where he got that from.”

“He could remember the plays, he found the rhythm easily. Then we found out he could shoot the ball really well,” Smathers added. “That was basically how this started. He had a good football coefficient, even in the third grade.”

Good decision. Burrow led Athens High School — 2 1/2 hours from Cincinnati — to the state finals in 2014. He threw six touchdown passes in a 56-52 loss to Toledo Central Catholic.

He won the Heisman Trophy and the national championship at LSU before being the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. In his second season in the NFL, he has led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.

Tom Brady announced his retirement Tuesday after 22 seasons in the NFL. (Mark LoMoglio)

I think Joe has some tools that I didn’t have when I was his age, so I’m very impressed with the way he’s come into the league.

Tom Brady/newly retired quarterback on Joe Burrow

Super Bowl-winning brothers Peyton and Eli Manning were mentored by their father Archie to be quarterbacks from the moment they could hold a ball. In contrast, Burrow started out wanting to play a position that required more wear and contact.

He also loved the defense. He played cornerback in high school, but only to the extent allowed by his coach, who wanted to protect him.

After suffering a terrible knee injury in his rookie season with the Bengals, Burrow bounced back in 2021. He broke franchise records by completing more than 70% of his passes in the regular season for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns.

He made critical plays in all three of Cincinnati’s electrifying victories during the postseason.

“Obviously I’m grateful that it all turned out this way,” Burrow said. “This is my career. I don’t know if he would have been a receiver in the NFL. It’s probably a crazy dream, but I can play well at quarterback. And I think my favorite part of playing quarterback is that there are great players at every position in the NFL, but I think there are only a few who affect game play that drastically. The quarterback position can affect the game in many ways and on every play. I like to have the ball in my hands on every play and be able to win or lose because of what I do.”

Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd was grateful that Burrow has found his way to quarterback. However, he thinks he may have been a good catcher.

Young man admired by a legend

Tom Brady spent time chatting with Joe Burrow in his last interview before announce his retirement on Tuesday. And it was like he was giving him a baton pass, or handing him the torch as the NFL’s new great passer.

To say there will never be another Brady is not an exaggeration. He is a seven-time Super Bowl winner, holds virtually every record for a quarterback and set an unparalleled level of excellence for more than two decades before retiring, fully empowered, at 44.

But the loss of the quarterback widely considered the greatest in history would not impact the NFL as much, where there are plenty of young stars ready to fill the void.

Burrow has a chance to win what will be the first Super Bowl of the post-Brady era next week when he leads the Bengals’ offense in the big game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Remarkably cool and confident, the 25-year-old Burrow joked with Brady Monday night during the veteran’s podcast on SiriusXM.

“I don’t know if I can still be in the conversation with this guy, but I’m going to work really hard to try. I think we’re off to a great start and I’m very excited about the opportunity we have,” Burrow said.

Brady, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title last season, fell two wins short of retaining the title. He was effusive in his praise for Burrow.

“I think Joe has some tools that I didn’t have when I was his age, so I’m very impressed with the way he’s come into the league. He went to Cincinnati, which had been a tough place to play for years. Two years into his career, after a really tough injury last year, he showed a lot of physical and emotional strength to come back, and he’s had an amazing season.”

“I always like to watch the quarterbacks, especially the young ones, because I feel there are certain ways to play the game, and playing it at a high level requires a lot of commitment. And I think Joe, even when I saw him at LSU, has that commitment. It’s great to see for me who’s been playing this for a long time. I’m really happy for Joe and his team”.

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Joe Burrow, the rising star praised by Tom Brady, did not want to be an NFL quarterback